Suggested Travel Itinerary You can't see and do everything in one visit, but you can get a wonderful introduction to the sights, visit famous attractions, and make notes for a return visit. Below is a 3-day suggested travel itinerary.
A double-decker bus tour of Manhattan is a good way to get a quick orientation. Gray Line New York Tours and New York Double Decker Tours let you get off at top attractions and reboard a later bus to continue your exploration. Visit the Statue of Liberty or simply view it from the water from a World Yacht or Circle Line cruise or from the Staten Island ferry (which is free). However you do it, seeing the city skyline from the water is unforgettable. Ellis Island Immigration Museum, near the Statue of Liberty, conveys the experiences of the forebears of nearly one in four Americans. While in the downtown area, wander through SoHo with its stylish art galleries, boutiques, and bistros housed in historic cast iron buildings among cobblestone streets. Soak up the avant-garde student and artist atmosphere in Greenwich Village. See Stanford White's Washington Arch at the Fifth Avenue (northern, or uptown) side of Washington Square Park. Have an espresso in a Bleecker Street coffee shop or an ethnic meal at any number of Thai, Indian, French, Polish, Japanese, Afghani, etc., restaurants. Listen to jazz at the Blue Note or Sweet Basil.
Start in Central Park. Observe the locals jogging around the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir, playing ball, in-line skating, and biking (skates and bikes can be rented). Walk up Fifth Avenue or Madison Avenue from 59th to 72nd Streets. Fifth is more residential; Madison is lined with exclusive stores; both have magnificent buildings. Walk the side streets to see rows of fine brownstone buildings. Among the 150 wonderful museums in New York City are two of the world's greatest: the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the largest museum in the Western Hemisphere, covers 5,000 years of cultural history and the Museum of Modern Art has more than 100,000 works from artists such as Picasso, Monet, Matisse, and Warhol. An architectural masterpiece is the world famous Guggenheim Museum. It's definitely worth seeing, at least the outside and a quick walk through the lobby. Visit Times Square, the brightest symbol of New York's revitalization. A ride to the 86th-floor outdoor observatory of the Empire State Building is a must. If you go late in the afternoon, you'll see the city by day and by evening, all lit up. Eat at a theater district restaurant; many have pre-theater dinner specials.
Spend the morning in Midtown East. Admire the Art Deco Chrysler Building and visit the United Nations. Take a free tour (Wednesdays) of the newly restored Grand Central Terminal and lunch in one of its new restaurants under the famous sky ceiling. In the afternoon, walk a few crosstown blocks to Rockefeller Center. See the Channel Gardens and Lower Plaza (especially spectacular in winter when the giant Christmas tree is lit and the ice rink is full). Walk up Fifth Avenue past countless upscale stores, St. Patrick's Cathedral (you must at least glance inside this spectacular cathedral), Trump Tower, or stroll west to Radio City Music Hall. End your day with a memorable performance at Lincoln Center, home of the Metropolitan Opera, New York Philharmonic, and New York City Ballet. For a reminder of where you were a few days ago, turn around at the fountain and look for the small-scale replica of the Statue of Liberty across Broadway.
|